In this study, we report the use of a high-throughput microfluidic spiral chip to screen out eggs from a mixed age nematode population, which can subsequently be cultured to a desired developmental stage. For the sorting of a mixture containing three different developmental stages, eggs, L1 and L4, we utilized a microfluidic spiral chip with a trapezoidal channel to obtain a sorting efficiency of above 97% and a sample purity (SP) of above 80% for eggs at different flow rates up to 10 mL min. The result demonstrated a cost-effective, simple, and highly efficient method for synchronizing C. elegans at a high throughput (∼4200 organisms per min at 6 mL min), while eliminating challenges such as clogging and non-reusability of membrane-based filtration. Due to its simplicity, our method can be easily adopted in the C. elegans research community.
Exosomes have gained immense importance since their proteomic and genetic contents could potentially be used for disease diagnostics, monitoring of cancer progression, metastasis, and drug efficacy. However, establishing the clinical utility of exosomes has been restricted due to small sizes and high sample loss from extensive sample preparation. Sample loss is particularly critical for body fluids limited in volume and difficult to access, e.g., cerebrospinal fluid. We present a microfluidic technique that locally enhances the concentration of extracellular vesicles extracted from MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines by using an ion concentration polarization (ICP)-based electrokinetic concentrator. Our design incorporates a trapping mechanism near the conductive polymer membrane; therefore, we can preconcentrate and capture extracellular vesicles simultaneously. Compared with standard fluorescence detection, our method increased the limit of detection (LOD) of extracellular vesicles by two orders of magnitude in 30 min. Our concentrator increased the extracellular vesicle concentration for 5.0 × 107 particles/1 mL (LOD), 5.0 × 108 particles/1 mL, and 5.0 × 109 particles/1 mL by ~100-fold each within 30 min using 45 V. This study demonstrates an alternative platform to simultaneously preconcentrate and capture extracellular vesicles that can be incorporated as part of a liquid biopsy-on-a-chip system for the detection of exosomal biomarkers and analysis of their contents for early cancer diagnosis.
A microfluidic force assay chip was used to quantify the relative changes in the thrashing force of C. elegans upon exposure to various external stimuli.
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